Current Giveaways

April 28, 2011

REVIEW: SIMPLE SECRETS BY NANCY MEHL

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (June 1, 2010)

Series: Harmony Series #1

Can graphic designer Gracie Temple have it all: the big city life and a job at a successful advertising firm? Just when she feels life coming together she receives an unknown uncle’s inheritance in a quiet Kansas Mennonite community. The house comes with a dark legacy and a cast of interesting neighbors, including farmer Sam Goodrich. Can Gracie shake off the dust of this town or will its secret charms pull her in to stay?

I thought this book was so adorable, fun, and even a little suspenseful. The story focuses around a young woman named Gracie who has to visit the little town of Harmony after her uncle passes away. We come to find out that her uncle has not only left her a house, but a letter that sends Gracie on a mystery quest for the truth.

The small, highly religious town, couldn't be more different than Gracie's current city-life, and yet, she finds that the town's residents and charms begin to pull her in.

Once I got into it, I found this book to be as charming as the fictional town it's based upon. I thought about what it would be like to visit Harmony myself, and whether the quaint restaurants and shops would have me wanting to stay there myself. I will warn you though, that if you are going to read this book, it is very religious, and very preachy. There were times that all of the bible quoting and praying was off-putting, but overall, I found it to be inspiring and perfectly-placed.